Sending You
by Brooklyn's Miracle
Summary: . . . I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of how I'm waiting for you, praying for you; I wanted you to see. So I'm sending you a little Christmas, till you come home with me.
1. Chapter 1 Something Missing

**Summary:** . . . I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of how I'm waiting for you, praying for you; I wanted you to see. So I'm sending you a little Christmas, till you come home with me.

A/N: This is one of those 'what if' fics. In this, Emma never really died, Adam didn't disappear, and Lexa (or whatever) never happened. This chapter is unbearable short, but the next chapter will be posted by the end of tonight, guaranteed.

If you dislike it, please tell me, but if you're going to resort to horrible flames, stick to e-mail or instant messaging. I'm not the type of person who likes insults to be very public. Also, I need preferences for pairings.

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**Sending You . . .**

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Chapter 1 – Something Missing

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There was always something missing. Even though the walls and staircase banisters were decked with golden tinsel, and sparkling with green lights, and Shalimar's Christmas carols echoed through ever corner, something was still absent, still missing.

It wasn't the noise, as Brennan and Adam's snores reverberated in the background of the quiet music, and it wasn't Shalimar's contented purr as she slept.

That missing something was a someone, and that person's death had left a hole in the hearts of Mutant X. All holes must be patched, and the residents of Sanctuary were all too happy to do so, temporarily healing the pain of their lost friend by preoccupying their time with preparations for upcoming special events and times.

The ruse seemed to work, until now. A pair of blue-green orbs pierced the semi darkness that surrounded the tall, flicking tree in the corner, glazed over as their owner waded through a memory.

Having been awakened by the ledgendary Christmas magic, Jesse Kilmartin stood in the empty room, still clad in baggy blue jeans and a pale blue dress shirt from the large dinner they had consumed hours earlier.

Christmas just wasn't going to be the same this year, not without Emma around. She wouldn't be dropping hints about unopened presents, or peeking through presents and making them seen normal to the others.

It had been childish, the delight that seemed to radiate off of her each Christmas morning, but the team needed it. Without that pure joy, the harsh reality of what they did for a living could turn them solemn and hard, but that unfiltered bliss seemed to melt the colder emotions right off of them.

Jolting Jesse from his thoughts, there came a digital 'moo' from one of the computers, and a faint grin had spread across the blonde's face as he approached the computer.

Emma had chosen the alerting tone for mail notifications, and had found it hilarious, sending herself e-mails over and over, just to hear the sound of the inexistent cow.

Now there was another e-mail, not one that she had sent to herself, but most likely another Christmas message. From who, Jesse hadn't the slightest idea; most of the safe houses had sent their yuletide greetings back after the delivery of supplies, and the rest had send video mail. There was nobody left to receive anything from.

So when the message summary popped up, reading that it was for the entire Mutant X team, Jesse left it for morning, something for early morning cheer.

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Mir


	2. Chapter 2 An Unexpected Gift

**Summary:** So I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of, I'm waiting for you, praying for you, I wanted you to see, that I'm sending you a little Christmas, until you go home with me.

A/N: This is one of those 'what if' type fics. In this, Emma never died, Adam never disappeared, and Lexa (or whatever her name is) never happened. This chapter is not so horrible short as the last, and is more along the lines of how long my chapters are. I find that, as both a writer and a reader, longer chapters are so much more fulfilling. Therefore, I write lots, and the more reviews that come in, the longer they get.

If you dislike it, please tell me, but if you're going to resort to horribly insulting flames, please stick to e-mail or instant messaging. I'm not the type of person who likes insults to be very public. Also, I still need preferences for pairings.

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**Sending You . . .**

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Chapter 2 – An Unexpected Gift

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Jesse choked, pushing at whatever it was that had just landed atop him, jolting him from sleep. His eyes flickered open, and he sent a withering glare at his feral attacker.

Shalimar smirked, baring her sharp teeth. Her head was bent overtop of his, letting the snake-like tendrils of her blonde hair brush across his face when she moved. "Come _on_ sleepyhead," she laughed, "We've been awake _forever_, waiting for you to get your lazy butt up!"

Shal seemed to grin to herself, and kept talking, "I told Adam that if he didn't let me get you up, I'd pull a noose." She smirked, and mimed strangling herself.

With an inward grin of his own, Jesse phased himself, laughing loudly as she slipped right through him, at which point he stood and solidified himself. He pulled a pale green shirt over his head, and bolted out the door.

Upon entering the main room, Jesse flung himself over the back of an armchair and landed in the seat, smirking triumphantly. Shalimar walked around it, and sat huffily on the couch, next to Brennan.

The taller man's eyes sparkled from beneath his dark eyebrows, scrutinizing the brightly wrapped presents that lay waiting beneath the tree. Brennan glanced upwards only when Adam walked in from the kitchen, handing out mugs of hot chocolate and coffee.

"Good morning," Adam said, proceeding to gather the various Christmas cards and e-mails that had corrugated on the coffee table in the past weeks. He handed them out, and read the first one. "Merry Christmas to you and yours, and a very happy new year. Sincerely, Safehouse 14."

It had been a tradition for years, re-reading cards and e-mails on Christmas morning, to help set the mood. It didn't need the help, as the spirit was always there, but the memories that accompanied it sure gave it an extra boost.

Around the circle the voices went, over and over, reading various cards all along the lines of the first. When they finally finished, Jesse stood, motioning them towards one of the computer pods. "We got another last night, I thought we should read it together."

Their warm mugs abandoned on the counters and tables for the moment, Brennan, Shalimar, Jesse and Adam gathered around one of the large screens, watching with patience. However, when the file opened up, and there was no text message, rather a video screen, heads turned, and eyes glanced towards each other. When a face finally came into focus on the screen, everybody froze.

It was Emma.

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She looked the same, piercing blue eyes, and soft auburn hair. Through and through, she appeared the same, though she held her chin higher, with an air of maturity that hadn't been there before.

It was then that Brennan realized she was speaking, and rewound the message, turning on the speakers.

Her voice came out in whispers, and she seemed to glance fleetingly past the camera every few minutes. "Hi guys. You must really not miss me, having left me here so long, but I still love you all. I thought that I might as well say goodbye, seeing as you didn't even try to get me out of here when you rescued that guy with the blue hair, so here goes."

Emma took a deep breath, and began to hum, slowly turning it into a hushed song. "A photograph, a blanket, some mistletoe, and fake snow, an angel to put on the tree, Santa Clause in crayon, to make you smile today, while you're so far away. So I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of I'm waiting for you, praying for you, I wanted you to see, that I'm sending you a little Christmas until you go home with me.

"Some gingerbread, a candy cane, a stocking I made with your names, I filled it, with your favorite things. A way to say I love you, like kisses through the air, hoping you feel me there. So I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of I'm waiting for you, praying for you, I wanted you to see, that I'm sending you a little Christmas until you go home with me.

"Home into those arms of mine, where I belong. So I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of I'm waiting for you, praying for you, I wanted you to see, that I'm sending you a little Christmas until you go home with me." She drew out the last note, and then sighed into the recorder.

"I have to go, Eckhart doesn't let me use the computers yet. He still hasn't taken off the governor." She scratched at something on the back of her neck, and then wiped something from the corner of her eyes. At that moment, the screen turned to black.

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A/N: That's all for now. Tune in next time for the team's initial reaction to the shocking turn of events.

HAHA, please review, or whatever.


	3. Chapter 3 The Shock of the New

**Summary:** So I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of, I'm waiting for you, praying for you, I wanted you to see, that I'm sending you a little Christmas, until you go home with me.

A/N: This is one of those 'what if' type fics. In this, Emma never died, Adam never disappeared, and Lexa (or whatever her name is) never happened. This chapter is not so horrible short as the last, and is more along the lines of how long my chapters are. I find that, as both a writer and a reader, longer chapters are so much more fulfilling. Therefore, I write lots, and the more reviews that come in, the longer they get.

If you dislike it, please tell me, but if you're going to resort to horribly insulting flames, please stick to e-mail or instant messaging. I'm not the type of person who likes insults to be very public. I'm still open for preferences for pairings.

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**Sending You . . .**

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Chapter 3 – The Shock of the New

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Brennan was the first to comment. "What the hell was that? Does somebody think this is funny?"

Shalimar stopped him. "Brennan, what if it wasn't a prank. What if she really is alive? What if we left her in the arms of that monster for the last three months."

"She can't be!" Jesse muttered, sounding unsure of himself. "We all saw her there – dead." He swallowed and closed his eyes for a minute, as though pushing an image from his mind's eye.

Adam shrugged. "It could have been an illusion, or a dummie." He looked around. "Whatever it is, we need to keep an open mind. At this point we know nothing, so anything could matter."

Brennan shook his head. "What do you mean? Emma's dead, and people can't come back from the dead."

"Not true." Adam butted in, but Shalimar picked up and continued his sentence.

"Remember with Caleb? She died, and then came back again."

"Yea, but that was different, he had her soul, and when he died, he let it go."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "Basically she was never dead in the first place. She just – well – didn't have a soul in her body – not at the time anyways."

Brennan shrugged, rolling his eyes. "So what if she didn't have a soul. That's not the point. I mean – we don't even know if this is really Emma. I mean, it could be graphics, or some sort of insane look alike. For all we know, Eckhart could have cloned Emma's body or something, and manipulated the cells with live ones."

Without hesitation, Adam seemed to glance at Jesse, his brown hair tousled as his eyes scanned those of his group. "Shalimar," he began, and seemed to slightly rub at the com-link on his finger. "Brennan could be right. When we read the message, it activated some sort of sweeping mechanism that deleted the path it tood."

"Adam, think carefully about what you just said." Taking a step forward, Shalimar's eyes flashed gold, and she scrutinized the man.

"What, about the virus?" Adam ran his fingers of the back of his neck.

Jesse's eyebrows had been furrowed for a moment, and when realization finally hit him, it struck him hard. The blonde took a stumbled step backwards and then began to talk. "Adam," he began, "Eckhart shouldn't have needed to erase the trail, no matter who's computer it was being sent from. I mean, come on! We already know where the Genomex laboratories are."

"Then why –" Adam was broken off suddenly as there was a noise from the computer that the group was still huddled around. A series of loud beeps, four in succession, and each family of four played three times, came from the speakers where Emma's voice had come from mere moments before. A pop-up window blinked on the screen until Jesse clicked on it.

He read it aloud. "Genomex Power Supply Inactive."

Adam turned to Brennan, Jesse and Shalimar, and immediately formulated a plan. "This debate is going to have to wait. Brennan, prep the Helix. Shalimar, I want you to get a few guns; It could be a trap. Jesse, you're going to stay here. I want you to run over the e-mail a few times, see if there's anything we missed. Some sort of sign or something."

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A/N: Thank you to my first two reviewers! Please tell others about my story.

Jenn: I'm still waiting for other people's preferences, but as it is, that pairing is very likely. Keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing! Can you believe this is my first Mutant X fic?

MariShal: OMG, I know. I was so pissed off when I found out she died – truth is, I had been reading all the synopsises for upcoming episodes, and was so mad at myself when I find up. Anywho, I'll do my best, but I'm still keeping an open mind. It all depends on what other people want.


	4. Chapter 4 Pieces of the Puzzle

**Summary:** So I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of, I'm waiting for you, praying for you, I wanted you to see, that I'm sending you a little Christmas, until you go home with me.

A/N: This is one of those 'what if' type fics. In this, Emma never died, Adam never disappeared, and Lexa (or whatever her name is) never happened. This chapter is not so horrible short as the last, and is more along the lines of how long my chapters are. I find that, as both a writer and a reader, longer chapters are so much more fulfilling. Therefore, I write lots, and the more reviews that come in, the longer they get.

If you dislike it, please tell me, but if you're going to resort to horribly insulting flames, please stick to e-mail or instant messaging. I'm not the type of person who likes insults to be very public. I'm still open for preferences for pairings.

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**Sending You . . .**

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Chapter 4 – Pieces of a Puzzle

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Shalimar Fox glanced around the halls of Genomex, the sour stench of disinfectant burning her sensitive nostrils. Silence seemed to radiate from the building, and even their breath sent faint echoes reverberating down the bleached white walls.

Brennan's fingers crackled with electricity, and he turned down a side hall, opening a door that they knew opened into a lab. What met him caused him to let out a loud gasp.

The room in front of him was spotless. There were no vials or tables, or any sign that the lab had ever been previously used. As far as it seemed, the large building could have been a brand new build up for sale.

Over his shoulder, Adam raised an eyebrow. "Let's split up."

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"It was unnatural." Adam finished, voice echoing in both the Helix and Sanctuary. "There were no beds, no computers. Not even a crumb left for mice to eat. Hell, there wasn't a speck of dust in the building."

Shalimar raised an eyebrow, lips pursed together slightly. "Maybe they relocated?" she offered.

"Why the hell would they do that?" Brennan butted, leaning back in Jesse's normal seat. "I mean, they know we'll find them some way or another. They're the most obvious group on the planet."

Jesse shook his head at the video-cam. "Not anymore guys. Not only did the message have a sweep program, it used a three-way decoy. Tracing it's basically going to be impossible. Now, do you want the good news first, or the bad news."

"You mean that's not bad news?" Brennan drawled.

Shalimar punched him, eyes flashing. "Adam?"

"Let's go with the bad news. What's up Jess?"

Jesse took a deep breath. "We've lost contact with Genomex's computer system. They switched to a new board, new server. They've even re-encrypted everything in a way I've never seen before. We've got what files we previously accessed, but until I get this decoded, we'll have no access to any of it. Not their location, not their files, and not their transportations."

Brennan rolled his eyes. "And what's the good news, that you're nearly half done?"

From the other end of the connection, they saw Jesse smirk, "Actually yes. But that's not the good news. The good news is that I found something hidden in Emma's video."

Adam sent a pointed look at Brennan. "Speed her up. We'll be there in a few minutes Jesse."

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Jesse pointed at the screen and turned the speakers down to normal. "Alright. Watch right here, before she starts that song."

As the screen rolled into life, Emma on the screen took a deep breath, her lips moving quickly in the background.

Jesse enhanced the volume, and all that came out was, "Beryllium."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "What on earth? Try slowing it down Jesse, and play it again at the delayed speed."

Immediately, Jesse began to punch words into the keyboard, letting them flow quickly from his fingers. When he started the part of the video again, the foursome watched and listened attentively. "Beware Eckharts Truth Serums."

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A/N: Thank you to my reviewers! Please tell others about my story.

Jenn: What, no review?

MariShal: What, no review?

Mxfan214: Well, you'll certainly find out soon – that is, if you keep reading. Haha.


	5. Chapter 5 Window to the Past

**Summary:** So I'm sending you a little Christmas, wrapped up with love, a little peace, a little light, to remind you of, I'm waiting for you, praying for you, I wanted you to see, that I'm sending you a little Christmas, until you go home with me.

A/N: This is one of those 'what if' type fics. In this, Emma never died, Adam never disappeared, and Lexa (or whatever her name is) never happened. This chapter is not so horrible short as the last, and is more along the lines of how long my chapters are. I find that, as both a writer and a reader, longer chapters are so much more fulfilling. Therefore, I write lots, and the more reviews that come in, the longer they get.

If you dislike it, please tell me, but if you're going to resort to horribly insulting flames, please stick to e-mail or instant messaging. I'm not the type of person who likes insults to be very public. I'm still open for preferences for pairings.

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**Sending You . . .**

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Chapter 5 – Window to the Past

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"Truth Serum?" Brennan echoed, and turned to Adam, confusion written obviously across his face.

Adam's eyes never left his charges' faces, but his mouth turned down in the corners with a disappointed frown. "Before I left Genomex, we were given a top secret assignment from the government."

Shalimar raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you say no?" she ran her tongue over her front teeth.

"For an obvious reason." Adam said, and sighed. "Genomex was a government funded program. Without that funding we wouldn't have been there, and so were obligated to pay off our debt by doing – favors – of sorts."

"Let me guess." Jesse butted in. "A truth serum for them?"

"Precisely." Adam sat down in a chair nearby, and held his hand to his forhead for a minute, before dropping it back down to his lap. "We were given the order to create a truth serum, something that agencies like the Counter-Terrorist Unit could use. Nothing worked. We spent months on it, and finally came up with something that seemed to work.

"We tested it several times on new mutants like you guys, and came up with a startling realization. We didn't create a truth serum, but a mind control device. We left it named as a truth serum, and disposed of all but a small vial, which we left enclosed in a safety deposit box under a fake name."

Shalimar threw her arms to her side, eyes flashing gold. "You mean you never destroyed it?"

Adam nodded, glancing around. "We didn't destroy it – we couldn't. If worse came to worse, we had a way to turn our enemies against each other. We had a way to make convicts turn into model citizens. We could control anybody. Our only problem was if it became public. We'd have no way of knowing if a terrorist organization had control, or if somebody dominated the president. It could end our country."

Jesse smiled slightly. "You've got to have some idea of how to reverse this though, right?"

"Partially. When we created it, we had only partially figured out an antidote, and when we put it in the deposit box, it was the last time any of us even saw the formula for it."

Brennan looked up, and ran his hand through his hair. "So, this thing is sittin in some bank, wasting away and Eckhart has duplicated it?"

"No." Adam stood up from the bench. "It was opened and taken out a few days ago."

"You're just telling us this now?" Brennan fumed, "Why?"

Adam looked at all the faces that watched him. "Because some things are best left unknown as long as possible."

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A/N: Thank you to my reviewers! Please tell others about my story.

Jenn: What, no review?

MariShal: What, no review?

Mxfan214: What, no review?

Warren: Don't worry. That's not it. I'm just spacing it out right now, working on getting other chapters up for other stories too. I can't focus on only one story at a time.

Empathducky: I'm glad to hear that you like it so much. I'll take your opinion into account, but I'm still listening to other opinions and tallying up the votes. This is going to be a very long story.


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